Guidance

The Woodland Carbon Code scheme for buyers and landowners

Find out about the scheme, how companies can use woodland carbon units and how landowners can take part.

Background

The Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) is the UK’s voluntary carbon standard for woodland creation projects. It provides reassurance about the carbon savings that woodland projects may realistically achieve. This government-led scheme provides:

  • a high quality, robust voluntary carbon standard
  • a transparent UK Woodland Carbon Registry
  • robust science to predict and monitor carbon sequestration
  • independent validation and verification of projects

This means that:

  • carbon buyers have reassurance that they have invested in a responsible scheme and can see the benefits that will be provided
  • project developers have recognised procedures and standards to work to, both in terms of woodland management and carbon accounting

Information if you are buying carbon

Woodland Carbon Units from verified WCC projects can help your company compensate for its unavoidable emissions. Projects also provide a whole host of benefits for water, biodiversity, communities and the economy as well as sequestering carbon.

Read WCC guidance on:

  • what are Woodland Carbon Units
  • why buy WCC-verified carbon units
  • where to buy WCC-verified carbon units
  • what other companies say

See the UK Government’s Environmental Reporting Guidelines, which set out how a company should report their greenhouse gas emissions, and the pamphlet, Woodland carbon units: buyer's guide. (PDF, 1.89 MB, 2 pages)

Case studies

Read examples of buyers who have purchased Woodland Carbon Units.

Information if you’re a landowner

The WCC is the UK’s voluntary carbon standard for woodland creation projects. If you demonstrate that you meet this standard, you can sell the carbon sequestered in your woodland in the form of Woodland Carbon Units.

Read the leaflet Woodland landowner's guide to the WCC. (PDF, 225 KB, 2 pages)

See the steps involved if you are a landowner with a woodland creation project, including how to:

  • find a project developer
  • register your project
  • get validated (have your project checked at the outset)
  • stay verified (have your project checked to show progress)

The WCC and other grant and funding schemes

If you apply for registration with the WCC you are not excluded from applying for Forestry Commission grant and funding schemes:

Find out about your eligibility for:

The Woodland Carbon Guarantee

Once you have registered for the WCC, you will also be able to apply for the Woodland Carbon Guarantee (WCaG). The WCaG is an incentive to plant trees for carbon sequestration. It does not contribute towards the cost of planning, establishment or early maintenance, but if your woodland creation project is accepted into the Woodland Carbon Guarantee you will have the option to sell Woodland Carbon Units to the government every 5 or 10 years up to 2055/56. The government will buy the Woodland Carbon Units for an agreed guaranteed price that is index-linked for the life of the contract. You can still choose to sell the carbon credits on the open market at any time. Find out more about the WCaG.

Case studies

Read examples of WCC projects.

The UK Woodland Carbon Registry

The UK Land Carbon Registry holds details of WCC projects, and tracks the issuance, ownership and use of carbon credits. You can use it to look up a project or to see who has purchased carbon units from WCC projects.

Woodland Carbon Code contact details

Email enquiries: info@woodlandcarboncode.org.uk

Find regional contact details for the WCC team, nationally and regionally.

Published 9 July 2018
Last updated 3 February 2022 + show all updates
  1. General updates to the page.

  2. First published.